CVE-2024-54302: VPSUForm v-form XSS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-54302 Overview

CVE-2024-54302 is a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Vikas Ratudi VPSUForm v-form WordPress plugin. The flaw stems from improper neutralization of user-supplied input during web page generation [CWE-79]. All versions of VPSUForm up to and including 3.0.0 are affected. Attackers can craft a malicious URL that, when clicked by an authenticated or unauthenticated victim, executes arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser session under the WordPress site's origin. Successful exploitation can lead to session theft, credential harvesting, content defacement, or redirection to attacker-controlled infrastructure.

Critical Impact

Attackers can execute arbitrary JavaScript in a victim's browser by tricking them into clicking a crafted link, enabling session hijacking and phishing within a trusted WordPress site context.

Affected Products

• Vikas Ratudi VPSUForm (v-form) WordPress plugin versions through 3.0.0
• WordPress installations with the vulnerable plugin enabled
• Any site exposing the plugin's reflected input parameters

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-13 - CVE-2024-54302 published to NVD
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-54302

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a reflected XSS issue in the VPSUForm plugin's request handling logic. User-controlled parameters are echoed back into HTTP responses without proper output encoding or input sanitization. When the plugin renders form data into the resulting HTML page, attacker-supplied script content is reflected verbatim, allowing arbitrary JavaScript execution in the victim's browser.

Exploitation requires user interaction, typically through a crafted link delivered via phishing, social media, or malicious advertising. Because the script executes in the WordPress site's origin, it inherits access to cookies, the Document Object Model (DOM), and any authenticated session state available to the victim. The scope change in the CVSS vector indicates the impact can cross security boundaries, affecting components beyond the vulnerable plugin itself.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient output encoding when the plugin reflects request parameters into generated HTML. The plugin does not apply context-appropriate escaping functions such as WordPress's esc_html(), esc_attr(), or esc_url() before rendering user input. This is a classic instance of [CWE-79], Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation.

Attack Vector

The attack is delivered over the network and requires victim interaction. An attacker constructs a URL containing JavaScript payloads in a vulnerable query parameter consumed by VPSUForm. When the target visits the link on a site running the vulnerable plugin, the server reflects the payload into the HTML response and the browser executes it. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Plugin Vulnerability advisory for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-54302

Indicators of Compromise

• HTTP requests to VPSUForm plugin endpoints containing URL-encoded <script>, onerror=, onload=, or javascript: payloads in query parameters
• Web server access logs showing referer headers from untrusted external domains targeting plugin URLs
• Outbound browser requests from administrator sessions to unknown external hosts shortly after visiting plugin pages
• Unexpected JavaScript fetches or cookie exfiltration patterns originating from the WordPress origin

Detection Strategies

• Inspect WordPress access logs for query strings containing common XSS payload signatures targeting v-form endpoints
• Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules covering reflected XSS payload patterns and OWASP Core Rule Set coverage
• Monitor Content Security Policy (CSP) violation reports for inline script execution attempts on pages rendered by VPSUForm
• Correlate phishing email telemetry with click-through events leading to the affected WordPress site

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable WordPress audit logging on plugin pages and review request parameters for HTML or JavaScript metacharacters
• Alert on administrator session activity that immediately follows external referrer traffic to plugin URLs
• Track plugin version inventory across managed WordPress sites to identify vulnerable installations of VPSUForm at or below 3.0.0

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-54302

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable or deactivate the VPSUForm v-form plugin until a patched version is confirmed available from the vendor
• Inventory all WordPress sites in the environment to identify installations running VPSUForm 3.0.0 or earlier
• Apply WAF rules to block reflected XSS payloads targeting the plugin's request parameters
• Force re-authentication of administrator accounts that may have been exposed to crafted links

Patch Information

No fixed version has been published in the available references at the time of NVD publication. The vulnerability affects VPSUForm from initial release through 3.0.0. Monitor the Patchstack advisory and the WordPress plugin repository for vendor updates.

Workarounds

• Remove the VPSUForm plugin entirely if it is not business-critical and replace it with a maintained form plugin
• Restrict access to WordPress administrative pages using IP allowlisting at the web server or reverse proxy layer
• Implement a strict Content Security Policy that disallows inline scripts and unknown script sources on affected pages
• Train administrators and editors to avoid clicking unsolicited links that point to the WordPress site with unusual query parameters

# Example Apache mod_security rule to block common reflected XSS payloads on v-form endpoints
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@contains /wp-content/plugins/v-form/" \
    "id:1054302,phase:2,deny,status:403,\
    chain,msg:'Possible CVE-2024-54302 XSS attempt against VPSUForm'"
    SecRule ARGS "@rx (?i)(<script|onerror=|onload=|javascript:)" "t:urlDecodeUni,t:lowercase"